


A Place to Fly

by silkiemae



Series: Silence of the Sirens [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-11-08
Packaged: 2018-12-25 22:33:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 4,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12045681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silkiemae/pseuds/silkiemae
Summary: Before Peter Pan had a mermaid, he had a fairy. A fairy that promised to show him wonderful, magical things and he loved that fairy dearly. Until he met Wendy. Before Peter loved Ariel, he loved Wendy Darling and he loved her most ardently.Until she left him to grow up.





	1. All That Really Matters

There would always be something very dark about Peter Pan. He was a man…he was a boy with many secrets—secrets only his shadow knew. Secrets only Neverland knew. Secrets that his boy knew. Just the thought of his boy, his son, sent an ache through his chest that he quickly vaporized. It was a sacrifice that was necessary, a sacrifice that would allow him to be free—to be young. Isn’t that all that matters?  
  
The moment that Peter Pan realized his youth couldn’t last however was a moment he vowed to find a solution. He vowed to find that which would allow him to keep his youth—to keep that freedom he so desired. He had given up everything for this and nothing could take it away from him.  
  
Not even a distraction by the name of Wendy Darling.


	2. Green Glitter Bug

Peter had spent years alone on Neverland with only the island’s shadow for company; which wasn’t much. He was beginning to feel more like a very lost boy than someone who was finally free from everything that had ever held them back. It was then that he decided it was times to find a way to retain his youth forever—to find that that would hold him back.  
  
He searched the island for months until he found _something_. Peter had spent the day lounging in his thinking tree—doing none other than thinking when he caught sight of the small little glittering ball flitting in and out of his vision. He sat up and stared at the glittering object, squinting until he reached out and swiped at it. It easily darted out of his reach and when it took off away from the tree he began following it.  
  
It felt like hours that he followed that little glittering ball of light until it finally began descending. By the time he reached the ground though the ball had disappeared and he found himself standing in front of a tree house. Frowning, he climbed the ladder only to find a very tiny home inside. He glanced around spotting a little green bed in the corner with books scattered all along the floor boards beside it—and then a wooden table which had little bottles of glowing green glitter inside.  
  
He stepped toward it and just as he was about to pick one up and inspect it he heard a sort of battle cry before turning around and barely missing a spear. Before him stood a woman wrapped in a green dress with white blonde hair and a murderous expression on her face.  
  
“Why are you following me?” she growled and Peter couldn’t help but grin as he held his hands up in surrender.  
  
“So that was you?” he asked, taking a step to the side only to have her mimic his actions her spear still pointed menacingly at him. “That little glowing green ball?”  
  
“Yes—what do you want?” she said as bluntly as possible. Peter leaned to the side trying to glance at the shimmering vials behind her when he caught sight of the translucent wings attached to her back. He grinned wider then.  
  
“I suppose a fairy like yourself could certainly have _some_ perks.”

 


	3. A Crystal Ball

The fairy fell for Peter quite fast. Her name was Tinkerbell and she had been alone for quite some time. If just about anyone were to come knocking at her door and asking for help be they a prince from some far away land or some scum of the Earth pirate she would’ve helped them. It just so happened that Peter Pan came first and the moment he offered his hand to her and kissed the top of it the moment she gave it to him she was his.  
  
It was that simple—Tinkerbell loved Peter Pan for that simple gesture and she needed no other proof. He only had to woo her for moments before she eagerly did as he asked. “I’ve got just the thing,” she said with a glittering smile. She turned her back on him and went to a long wooden cupboard that had lines carved into it—seemingly with a tiny blade. She opened the doors and Peter only got a glimpse of what treasures were inside before she whirled around with a circular object covered by a turquoise cloth.  
  
“What’s that?” Peter asked, now sitting at her small table with his chin propped up by his left hand. His right was tapping rapidly on the wooden table as he waited impatiently for her to show him how to retain his youth.  
  
“A gift my mother gave me a long time ago,” she murmured sitting at the only other chair to her table. She pulled her legs up under her and placed the object gently down, uncovering it and setting it within the cloth. It was a clear ball—and when Peter looked closer he realized it was a crystal ball. He internally groaned thinking that perhaps she wasn’t a fairy after all but a gypsy instead.  
  
Tinkerbell simply smiled at his apprehensive look before she took one of the small jars of pixie dust and sprinkling a bit of her in her palm. “This orb can show me anything I want to see—anything at all,” she murmured before emptying her hand over the ball. The contents drifted over the crystal ball and immediately were sucked inside the glass. Peter leaned forward, instantly curious as Tinkerbell whispered secretively to the ball.  
  
She pulled back and watched a small cloud opened in the air above the ball—it parted like waves and showed them a perfectly clear image. A boy, no older than eleven or twelve smiling at them with all his teeth—he had a sparkle in his eye that was somehow familiar to Peter and yet he didn’t know it at all. Tinkerbell smiled up at the image before looking at Peter once more. “His name is Henry…and he holds the heart of the truest believer. By taking his heart you will seek the power you desire,” she murmured and flicked her fingers—in mid air a crisp white piece of paper appeared with an image of the boy etched upon it. Tinkerbell handed it to him and smiled brightly at him.  
  
“Well done my little fairy,” Peter said taking the image and running his thumb along the ink drawing of Henry, the truest believer. “Well done indeed.”


	4. The Search for the Truest Heart

Peter found himself on Skull Island shortly after receiving the fairies photo. He clutched it to his chest and waited until the shadow appeared. He looked at it, a look of pure smugness upon his face before he finally decided upon a plan. “I want you to find me a boy,” he said. “Bring him to me and I’ll be able to retain my youth.”  
  
Peter hadn’t expected for the shadow to continue floating there, just staring at him with his black expressionless face. “And which boy am I supposed to take, _sir_? There are millions of boys in this world—any one of them could be that which you seek.”  
  
This _was_ a dilemma. He glanced down at his photo…the boy’s smile seemed so empty on the paper. So…lost. He could simply show the shadow the photo of the boy and all would be solved but he had a different plan. If this boy was as special as Tinkerbell said he would come with a challenge and Peter would need help for a challenge.  
  
He had taken the name Peter Pan for a reason—a reason only known to him. He could only imagine where his boy was now, how lost _he_ might be without a father. Without a mother. So unloved and alone.  
  
“Find me those who are alone…those who don’t feel the love of their parents; those who are neglected and abused—those who are scared. Bring me lost boys.”  
  
“As you wish,” the shadow said before swooping through the hole in the skull’s eyes. No doubt it would take time for the shadow to bring him the boy he needed. There was some work to be done. He smiled to himself before returning the tree house in the middle of the woods unsurprised to find his little green fairy moping on her bed.  
  
“Did you miss me, Tink?” he asked as he dropped into her kitchen. The fairy glanced up, her expression lightening at the sight of the freckled boy.  
  
“No one’s called me that for a very long time,” she said with a sad smile. “And yes, I did.”  
  
Peter smiled before wandering over to the bed she sat on and joining her with his knees folded under her. “It’ll be a long time before I get what I want, little fairy. So in the mean time…I want you to show me _everything_ there is to know about Neverland.”


	5. Felix and the Lost Boys

The first boy the shadow brought to Peter was a miscreant, clear and simple. He wore tattered clothes and there was dirt smeared across his face and staining his blonde hair. He looked at Peter with disdain and seemed to want nothing more than to kill him.  
  
“What’s your name?” he asked. Tinkerbell was standing a short distance away from him and he could practically feel the magic brimming from the tips of her fingers. She wanted to strike this boy down should he so much as look at her Peter the wrong way.  
  
“Why should I tell you?” the boy said. His voice was low and smooth and Peter was reminded of himself in that voice. He grinned and nodded at the Shadow who grabbed just the tip of the blonde boy’s shadow and began to tear.  
  
Agony ripped through his throat and sprayed into the air and Peter crossed his arms and waited. Panting the boy finally returned his gaze to Peter’s and spat at his feet. “My name is Felix,” he growled.  
  
It wasn’t hard after that to get Felix to appreciate Peter’s cause. To befriend him; to manipulate him was quite simple. Soon Felix had the image of Henry and he was the one dealing bringing Peter more and more boys. This left Peter all the time in the world to spend with his family.  
  
While the Lost Boy family was building Peter was harnessing his power, becoming the one person who would live forever. Soon Peter would _become_ Neverland and nothing would stop him.  
  
Until the day that the shadow brought him a very frightened, very pretty girl.


	6. She Can Fly!

Wendy Darling was sitting quite comfortably by herself on the window seat in the room she shared with her two brothers. She was reading a book about some princess or other who just did not want to marry the man she was meant to be with. It was all so very droll and Wendy was sure she’d read the same story about six books ago. She sighed, leaning her head against the ledge of the window and glancing out at into the streets of London.  
  
Being so high up made the place look almost magical. The tops of the building looking dusty and sharp but somehow they were a place she wanted to explore—even with the gray dirty smoke leaking from the chimney tops. Mr. and Mrs. Darling were out for the evening leaving her in charge of John and Michael.  
  
She was finally old enough to not need a sitter of her own and for that she was incredibly excited. It had always been Wendy’s dream to be able to care for her own children—to be like her mother and raise a family but that didn’t mean that she sometimes didn’t yearn to be void of her responsibilities. To go somewhere far away with no one but herself to tell her what to do; of course these were only wishful fantasies.  
  
It wasn’t much sooner than she had snapped her book shut that the shadow came to her window. Wendy thought that perhaps she should be afraid of the shadow floating in front of her window with eyes unlike any she’d ever seen. The shadow stared at her and she thought for a moment that perhaps the shadow could see into her soul—and it could perhaps sense what she truly desired. So when the shadow tapped on her window it seemed to make sense to open the window and take its hand.  
  
And then Wendy Darling was flying.


	7. Wendy Moira Angela Darling!

By the time her feet touched the ground she felt as though her legs had gone numb and everything in her stomach had turned to mush. She had just let a shadow take her away from her home—and her family. Now she was on unfamiliar territory with her hands clutching the earth and her stomach retching violently.  
  
“Oh god,” she groaned as she sat back, holding her stomach. “Oh god, oh god, oh god.”  
  
“Welcome to Neverland,” someone laughed. She glanced up to see a dirty blonde boy leaning against one of the trees. Behind him were several other boys, all equally as dirty as the blonde one.  
  
“Who are you?” Wendy said suddenly feeling as though she should stand but her legs still felt like noodles. “Where am I?”  
  
“I just told you. You’re in Neverland,” the boy said, ignoring her first question.  
  
“And where is Neverland?” She said, wondering what part of England they were in—because she had certainly never heard of it or seen it on any map before.  
  
The boy opened his mouth to answer but before he could speak someone had landed from the sky just in front of him. It was another boy except this one looked slightly older than the others with freckles covering his face, thick lips and bright blue eyes. His hair was orange and his smile was devious as he looked at Wendy and again she felt the need to stand up—also she became quite aware that she was in nothing but her nightgown. Next time she decided to go on adventures with strange shadows she really must plan her wardrobe better.  
  
“I hear the shadow brought us a little girl,” the boy said turning to look at Wendy. “But you’re not very little are you. No…you’re a big girl.”  
  
“I beg your pardon?” Wendy said, finally getting to her feet and crossing her arms over her chest. She wasn’t sure in which manner he was speaking but she didn’t like it either way. “Who are you?” she demanded and the boy laughed.  
  
“Why, I’m Peter Pan! And these are my Lost Boys. The real question is, big girl, who are you?”  
  
Wendy lifted her chin high in the air, dropping her arms at her side and presented herself as the lady her mother always told her to be during introductions. “I’m Wendy. Wendy Moira Angela Darling and I would very much like to go home now.”  
  
“You can’t leave! You’ve only just got here!” Peter said stepping forward and reaching forward to offer his hand to the girl. “I promise you, Wendy Moira Angela Darling, that you are very safe here in Neverland. Have some fun with us!”  
  
Wendy clenched her jaw, looking at Peter’s dirty hand and then the dirty boys behind him. Each had an expression of mischief on their face but it wasn’t the naughty kind of mischief she was afraid of—it was simply the desire to have fun. Hadn’t Wendy just been thinking about fun? Adventure and chaos and all sorts of things her mother would never approve of?  
  
“Alright, fine,” Wendy said reaching forward with a hesitant hand before she grasped Peter’s filthy one.  
  
She didn’t even notice the little green ball of jealousy floating in the tree tops.


	8. Make A Wish

Neverland was something made of dreams, that Wendy was sure. As Peter took her hand, he glanced at the little glowing ball that Wendy had only just noticed and watched as it flew toward. “Tink, why don’t you give Wendy here some pixie dust.” The green ball seemed to brighten and shake and Peter’s brow furrowed. “Tink…” he said his voice dropping dangerously.  
  
A moment later the ball flew over to her and shuddered, bright white dust fell over Wendy. She had expected to feel something…maybe warm and feather-light but she felt the same. “Now what?” she asked and Peter smiled.  
  
“Now you believe,” Peter said before looking up at the sky. Wendy watched as his feet effortlessly left the ground and then he was floating in midair. Her eyes were wide because somehow being carried away by a shadow wasn’t surprising enough. There was a boy _flying_ in front of her.  
  
“Oh my,” she whispered and then she realized that Peter was smiling even wider now and when she glanced down she noticed that her feet had left the ground as well. She let out a squeal of fear and then of delight. “I’m flying!”  
  
“Yes Wendy, but there’s so much more here in Neverland. There’s so much we can do together. Let me show you everything,” he said and for a moment Wendy heard a very shrill almost inaudible scream. The green ball had disappeared but that hardly seemed to matter because Wendy was very much inclined to join Peter Pan.  
  
“Yes! Please,” she said with a wide grin. So Peter took her hand and the two flew over treetops and the sea. He showed her that if you went close enough to the water you could see the mermaids splashing about—and Wendy instantly pointed out one just below the surface of the water; her hair red as blood and fire.  
  
“I wish my brothers could see this!” she cried mesmerized by the world around her. She didn’t see Peter’s Cheshire grin.  
  
“Maybe they can,” he murmured before turning to a darker portion of the forest. Wendy followed and realized the reason it was darker was because everything was much lower here. The trees all seemed to dip down creating a sort of cavern and inside that cavern was a waterfall—appearing seemingly out of nowhere. He brought her into the cave at the very top of the waterfall and the two landed, taking a seat on the damp rocks. Wendy looked over the waterfall instantly regretting the decision as nausea filled her throat upon seeing the height. “This is the Wishing Falls,” he said staring out at the stars. “The Lost Boys and I come here to make wishes—and sometimes they even come true,” he said with a smile. “What do you wish for Wendy?”  
  
Her brow creased as she thought and Peter noticed the cute little dimple that appeared in just her right cheek. Her eyes lit up as she decided on her wish and she leaned forward, taking Peter’s hand in hers. “I wish that I could stay here forever, with you.”


	9. Queen of Neverland.

It was a wish that Wendy would soon come to regret. Peter was such a marvelous companion at first, showing her new and exciting things. Teaching her to fly and showing her the proper use of pixie dust. At first she never wanted it to end and then she began to feel homesick.  
  
That motherly compassion that Wendy had adapted from her mother long ago had begun filling her gut as she looked at Peter’s Lost Boys and felt utterly helpless. Peter had explained to her that these were all boys without parents; boys who’s families hadn’t wanted them or perhaps died. These children were all alone in the world and all they had was Peter and themselves. She thought of her brothers and how abandoned they must feel when they realized she had gone.  
  
“Peter,” she said one day as they sat around a campfire feasting on some delectable meat Peter had presented them. She was going to tell him that she wanted to go home when she saw the photograph he was holding in his hands. It wasn’t so much a photograph as it was a drawing—but a very detailed one at that, of a young boy looking no older than eleven or twelve. “Who’s that?” she asked, peering over his shoulder at the drawing.  
  
Peter looked at her and she smiled in recognition. He had begun giving her that look moments after she wished to stay with him forever. That look told her that he wished she could stay forever as well and her heart fell ever so slightly when she realized she was going to break her promise.  
  
“This is the boy who is going to save magic,” he said with a slight smile as he ran his finger over the drawing.  
  
“Save magic?”  
  
“Yes, you see all magic comes with a price and I’m afraid the magic here is draining away at the magic of this island. We need the heart of the truest believer in order to heal our world.”  
  
“Oh dear,” Wendy said, her eyes wide. “What will happen if you don’t find him?”  
  
Peter’s gaze turned dark as he turned away from her and began folding up the photograph. “I don’t want to think of it,” he sighed. His expression lightened almost immediately as he turned to face Wendy once more. “Wendy, would you stay and be my queen?”  
  
“What?” she laughed.  
  
“You said you wanted to stay with me forever—well you can! All you have to do is be with me forever. We can lead the Lost Boys and search for the heart of the truest believer and save Neverland. You can be my queen,” he said again his hand reaching to touch the side of her face.  
  
That look was in his eyes again and as she placed her hand over his her heart fell to the bottom of her stomach. “Peter, I’m so sorry…but I have to go home.”  
  
As the words fell from her lips she realized how grave a mistake she had made making that wish.


	10. A Very Terrible Drea,

Wendy had never been so happy to see her bedroom again and yet there were tears of terror rolling down her cheeks. She stumbled into the room the shadow darting away immediately after releasing her and the only one to comfort her was a boy. A boy whom she had rescued only a few weeks before. Baelfire was his name and as he clutched her in his arms she wept.  
  
She had caught the dirty boy stealing bread from her dining hall and instantly felt pity for him. No child should have to live on the streets like that and so she hid him away in her bedroom, feeding him hers and her brother’s scraps until her parents found what she was doing. She had expected them to throw him back to the streets but instead accepted him into their home with open arms.  
  
“Wendy,” he gasped finally taking her wet face into his hands and forcing her to look at him. “What have you done?”  
  
“There…there was a shadow that appeared at my window,” she said and now that she said it out loud she felt so foolish. “I took his hand and he took me to this place…of magic.”  
  
“Magic is never a good thing, Wendy!” Baelfire hissed. “All magic comes at a price. What happened? Where did the shadow take you?”  
  
“A place called Neverland,” she said “Oh, Bae,” she sobbed. “They’re going to take John and Michael from me…the shadow is coming back for them tomorrow night.”  
  
Wendy distinctly left out the part about Peter Pan and about how he was not at all the wonderful boy she had thought that he was. Her wrists still stung from how tightly he had held her, screaming at her that she was a liar and a fraud and how he hoped she was happy growing old in her world.  
  
She closed her eyes, pressing her head to Baelfire’s chest. Peter Pan was the biggest mistake of her life.  
  
“Don’t worry Wendy, I won’t let that happen.”  
  
The next night it was Baelfire who was taken by the shadow and for a time Wendy and her brother’s were safe. She never forgot the boy who saved her family…often she would talk to him, though she knew he couldn’t hear her. Peter Pan soon became just a nightmare and Neverland a very extraordinary dream.  
  
Until one night the shadow returned.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Here is the prologue of the prequel to Silence of the Sirens. This story will not be terribly long. Honestly it'll probably be fifteen chapters at the most but I'd like to give a brief insight to my version of Peter Pan. Obviously I'm keeping the shows theme that Peter is Rumpelstiltskin's father and that he needs to find the heart of the truest believer to keep his youth. But I'm going to change up his relationship with Wendy and with Tinkerbell a bit. So this story will focus on his relationship with those two lovely ladies. Enjoy!


End file.
